Yemen: The eighth of October is one of the most unforgettable days in Yemen’s memory. On this day in 2016, the US-Saudi aggression committed a massacre by bombing a funeral hall in Sana’a.

The aggression exploited this gathering to carry out a heinous and ruthless attack, resulting in one of Yemen's worst tragedies in an attempt to force the Yemeni people to surrender to its brutality and violence.

It quickly admitted to committing this crime, launching two airstrikes with a seven-minute gap between them, targeting hundreds of mourners, including civilian and military officials, tribal leaders, and children, as well as rescue workers.

This crime resulted in the death and injury of more than a thousand civilians, with 193 killed, including 33 children, and 890 wounded, 40 of whom were children. Among them, 20 children were left permanently disabled, and 13 bodies were so badly burned they could not be identified, making this one of the bloodiest war crimes in Yemen.

The location, timing, and details of the crime highlight the coalition’s brutality and deliberate shedding of Yemeni blood. The Grand Hall was intentionally bombed while it was crowded with mourners paying their respects to Sheikh Ali bin Ali al-Ruwaishan, as they were reading the Al-Fatiha over his soul. 

The airstrikes turned the solemn moments of grief and heartfelt condolences into a scene of horror, where death rained from the sky, burning, scattering, and shattering everything without mercy. While rescuers rushed to save the victims of the first airstrike, the warplanes returned for a second strike, multiplying the death toll, injuring more people, and terrifying nearby residents and emergency teams who feared another round of strikes. Participating in removing the debris and rescuing the wounded became a form of defiance under the threat of renewed airstrikes.

In that horrific inferno, grief spread across Yemen, and charred bodies and scattered remains filled the hall, with the ground soaked in the blood of hundreds of victims. Cries of the injured echoed from beneath the rubble, amidst columns of smoke and flames, accompanied by the stench of burning flesh, death, and gunpowder. This criminal scene deepened the sorrow in the hearts of the Yemeni people, strengthening their loyalty to God and the nation, and uniting the Yemeni leadership and people in the face of the coalition’s killing machine.

This deliberate massacre by the US-Saudi aggression is a complete war crime under international humanitarian law, as confirmed by Human Rights Watch. It involved the use of an American-made Paveway II GBU-12 bomb weighing 225 kilograms and guided by laser (MK82).

Despite the coalition admitting to the crime, no legal action has been taken to hold its leaders accountable under international law, nor have the families of the victims received any compensation despite the coalition's promises.

Avoiding accountability

Former Minister of Human Rights Ali al-Dailami emphasized in a previous interview with "Almasirah" newspaper the importance of raising this crime and thousands like it to the United Nations Security Council to eventually refer them to the International Criminal Court and pursue justice for the war criminals. He added that despite the coalition's acknowledgment of the crime, the International Criminal Court has taken no punitive measures, such as blacklisting the coalition or halting arms sales to the involved countries.

Al-Dailami pointed out that the Ministry of Human Rights has documented this crime and spoken about it on multiple occasions. He noted that reports on the Grand Hall massacre and other crimes against civilians and children have been prepared according to international standards.

He concluded by stating, "We all know that international mechanisms, unfortunately, serve colonial interests, with complicated, politicized systems that primarily aim to serve major powers against nations opposing global arrogance."

Amir al-Din Jahaf, head of the Insan Organization for Rights and Freedoms, stated that the crimes of the US-Saudi aggression against Yemen have varied and multiplied, with the Grand Hall bombing being one of the most heinous crimes in this decade. He emphasized that this crime could be considered among the worst war crimes, completely detached from humanitarian and ethical values, as it deliberately targeted civilians, children, and innocent people.

Jahaf stressed that this crime is classified among the most atrocious, rising to the level of genocide. It cannot be forgotten over time and will remain etched in the minds of Yemenis.

He added that the Saudi regime’s crimes against Yemeni civilians will be addressed after the end of the aggression and blockade imposed on the Yemeni people for nine years. Families who lost loved ones and children orphaned by coalition crimes will eventually reach international and regional courts to ensure that the criminals receive just punishment. He also noted that Saudi money has effectively silenced voices, including those of human rights organizations, and the United Nations has remained neutral regarding the majority of crimes committed in Yemen.

Witnesses and victims' testimonies:

A witness, Ammar, recalled the moments after the bombing, saying, "It was a burning place; it was hard for anyone nearby to approach. Later, I found out that both my uncles and their sons were there."

He continued, "I shouted at the top of my lungs, calling their names—Hussein Ziyad, Abdulaziz, Amin, and Taha. I thought maybe one of them was still alive, but there was no answer."

Ammar added with deep sorrow, "I couldn't accept it. I called Khaled, one of the injured, and asked him, 'Khaled, did you see any of them after the strikes?' He replied hopelessly, 'It's over; stop searching. The airstrike hit right where they were.' At that moment, the world went dark around me. The news hit me like a thunderbolt."

He continued, "Despite Khaled's words, I kept searching, convincing myself that I would find one of them. I kept looking in pain at the horrific scenes around me, shouting to the others, 'If you see anyone moving, don't leave them, get them out and save them.' Later, the rest of my relatives arrived, and we kept searching through the rubble until 8:00 PM, but we didn't find a trace of them."

Ammar recounted, "We all left the hall after hours of exhausting efforts without any success. We split up and searched hospitals, hoping to find them injured or in the morgues. We searched all night, going from hospital to hospital, even private clinics and medical centers. At around 2:00 AM, pale-faced and exhausted, I went to the police hospital, which had already been searched multiple times. My heart told me I might find something there."

"When I reached the hospital door, I found some of my family there. We entered together and saw bodies with completely disfigured faces. One of the bodies had its head split in two, making it unrecognizable. But every time I passed by that body, I felt a strange pull towards it. I asked the morgue guard for gloves, put them on, and carefully held the head, bringing the two halves together. With great difficulty, I arranged the facial features and realized it was my cousin, Amin Abdullah Ziyad. 

I called the others, and my cousin Saddam Hussein Ziyad identified him by his hand, confirming it was Amin. He also recognized the shawl Amin had borrowed from him before going to the hall. As for my uncle, Hussein Ziyad, we found him on the third day in the military hospital, burned beyond recognition. The only thing that identified him was his watch. But we never found Abdulaziz or Taha."

Another witness said, "When I arrived, there were more than 50 burned bodies that could still be identified, but half of their bodies or heads were missing. For the rest, it was almost impossible to tell who they were."

Adel al-Harsh, 41 years old, attended the funeral with a friend. He said the hall was "packed with people from all walks of life—military, civilians, tribal leaders, dignitaries, and journalists." Adel and his friend decided to leave due to the overcrowding, but they had difficulty exiting as others were still trying to enter.

Adel added that he heard the sound of a plane overhead, followed by a "huge explosion." A few minutes later, another shell fell, and he heard the sound of another plane, fleeing from the scene in fear.